In Canaletas, the legend says that “he who drinks of his water will return to Barcelona”

The fountain most “culé”

A destination almost obliged for tourists, the Canaletas fountain crosses thousands of people, located just at the beginning of the Ramblas, a few steps from Plaça de Catalunya. This modest but emblematic fountain-lantern treasures with a history that makes it one of the unavoidable sources for the tourist and the fan of Futbol Club Barcelona, when its successes allow it.

The source of Canaletas was built in XVIII century but its reaison for bein takes us to the implementation of Rec Comtal, a network of channels launched in the tenth century and operating for almost nine centuries, which was extended in the mid-nineteenth century to bring the water that arrived from the Montcada and Reixac dam. With the arrival of industrialization, the water of the canals became contaminated and the city opened some divergent channels to supply to the Ramblas of less contaminated water. They were called ‘Canaletas’.

The original source came from a deposit located in the Tower of San Severo of the old medieval wall, which supplied the area of the Rambla and the Raval, originally from the eighteenth century. In 1862 the old fountain disappeared with the demolition of the walls and in its place settled two provisional iron sources.

In 1888 the City Council of Barcelona agreed to replace it with another definitive source, a project commissioned to Pere Falqués formed by four sources that would be located in different places of the city. Subsequently it was extended to fourteen sources, awarded to Jaume Rodelles. For that reason, although the one of Canaletas was constructed in 1892, it counts on a good number of ‘twin sisters’ distributed by Barcelona.

Made of cast iron, the fountain has a circular base on which a cup-shaped structure rises with four faucets that pour the water over four circular stacks; On this glass rises a column crowned in turn by four lampposts. With the ornamental tracks on the table, nothing better than to trace a route in search of their ‘relatives’ that we will find, among other locations, in the Portal del Ángel, the main street of Gracia, the round of San Pablo, Or the Plaza de la Barceloneta, among others. In total, there are 17 identical sources.

Today it is celebrated for being scene of the festivities in honor to the victories of the Barça. A tradition that was forged when the followers of the azulgranaclub were quoted at the gates of the sports newspaper La Rambla, which was in the habit of presenting the results of football matches using a blackboard. Disappeared in the late 1930s, it should be said that the newspaper was located just in front of the fountain, at number 13 of the Ramblas.

Tradition says that “he who drinks of his water will return to Barcelona.” That is why, by superstition, visitors who wish to return to the city do not hesitate to drink their water if they hope to comply with the saying, whose legend can be read inscribed on a plaque.

The side wall of the civic center in the neighborhood of Sant Marti in Barcelona, serves as canvas for the last giant face of urban artist Jorge Rodríguez-Gerada

Urban Art Barcelona

The last Rodríguez-Gerada is the giant face of a woman, or the face of a giant woman reflected in a side wall of Sant Martí Civic Centre: 280 square meters of urban art with the inherent power not go unnoticed. By size, but not alone as almost all the works of the Identity series, which launched in Barcelona installed around -three decades has, more or less, Panorama is not just giant, mostly it’s content. “Instead of the huge picture of a movie star or a politician with a big smile, I draw someone from the neighborhood, the community. Drawing one of us. ” It has done in other neighborhoods like Raval, Horta and Born, and other cities such as Buenos Aires, Monterrey and Paris, and although one of the faces that draws Rodríguez-Gerada has ingredients of privilege, the choice of characters less driven the search for someone brainy representative -what think a newcomer to the world Rodríguez-Gerada- and quota criteria and magnificent as smell or chance. It could be you. It could be your son. It could be your neighbor.

“Instead of the huge picture of a movie star or a politician with a big smile, I draw someone from the neighborhood, the community, drawing one of us,” explains the artist
“It’s an artistic lottery. I get to see people go down the street and pick a person that I like.

I wonder if they identify with the place, if you have a sense of belonging … “Rodríguez-Gerada try not to repeat age or sex, and those are the only criteria beyond the pleasure of simply going out in search of the next face. Thus exposed his methods, who is the woman who squints from the wall of the civic center? Where do you live and what you do? It could be the neighborhood baker, the butcher, could be a teacher. It would, in fact, if Panorama was not an anomaly within the series. But Panorama, for once, is not just one person. Panorama is not a woman.

Jorge Rodríguez-Gerada born in Cuba 49 years ago but raised in the US, where he emigrated with his family in the 70s in the world of street art becomes a kind of old fox, a veteran with stories in tow as two or three times that stopped him in his day the police of New York, at the time I was going down the street to denounce altering billboards manipulative power of advertising. “With find some surprises included as police chief who understand the background of what I was doing and let me go; but they were the exception. ” In Barcelona he gained notoriety with the immense Obama drew on the grounds of the Forum in November 2008, on the eve of elections that upheld the first black US president, even in the environment of local urban artists was already a recognized character.

Windswept

The works in the series are not giants identities because. “The great thing only works if you have an intrinsic power behind”, explains Rodríguez-Gerada. In addition to size, are among others the common denominator of being drawn in charcoal, which gives them an ephemeral component, dramatic in a way, part of the speech of the artist. “I like the poetry that is in the fact that they are gradually swept away by wind and rain.” But Panorama is different. Panorama, which ended in December and a neighbor not heard yet discovered in wonder these days is made with paint and will last much longer than their peers series, and yes it is not one, there are several women: two work at the Civic Center (Naomi Poncela, mouth, and Chus Ruiz, chin), the third is a user (Montse Noto, eye) and the fourth is used bingo (Luisa Hernandez, nose). In short, a puzzle neighbors. “It’s not just a portrait. It’s a job I like people stopped to look and to think about the effort behind. What it means, too. Unfortunately, it touches urban art people are accustomed to instant, fast, the Banksy. I want to make an impact, but also want the work hold a calm look. So this time I used paint. ”

The character is the work; they are the protagonists. So in the photo the artist is behind, in the background, half hidden under his hood.

Institution postwar time needed then fell into disuse with modernity and wealth industry, today the World Bread Day is celebrated. An initiative of the International Federation of Bakers (UIB) which aims to promote the development and use of this staple which in recent years it has staged a revolution. And that the Spanish eat less and less bread. It is a fact that we see in the daily life of our table and finds the Spanish bakery industry and the Ministry of Agriculture. Bread celebrates its day at a time of reinvention forced the sector. The crisis has deflated demand but on the other hand, has raised the chance that offers the consumer greater appreciation by artisans or the most original bars.

Data in hand, the Spanish eat about 1.576 million kilos a year and the annual per capita consumption is 34.8 kilos, with an annual fall of 3.8% and 20% on the purchase of seven years. Spending per person has dropped bread and round 85 per year representing 5.74% of the shopping cart. However, for many it remains a small golden treasure every day; as Neruda wrote in his ode to this food “all beings have the right to land and life, and so will tomorrow’s bread, the bread and mouth, sacred, consecrated, because it will be the product of the longest and toughest human struggle. ” To celebrate their day and encourage us to draw -by the way- a nose outside the supermarket in search of the scent of freshly baked sourdough, a selection of some of the best artisan bakeries in Barcelona, ​​true defenders of the culture of the flour, yeast and idle time.

Forn Mistral

They are specialists croissants and buns, but the best bread in town. They opened in 1879 near Plaça Universitat but from 1977 Bertran runs the family bakery. The greatest merit of Forn Mistral is not to have stopped doing things as they have always done even when proliferated around industrial bread ovens. You find near the Plaça Universitat and in the street of Torres i Amat, 7, including a café, to enjoy all their pastas site: also mini croissants and cakes.

Barcelona – Reykjavik

Barcelona-Reykjavik is reputed to be one of the most expensive in the city bakeries. True, but I do concessions to quality: sourdough, organic products and a range of incredible cereals. His style is marked-hence its very Nordic and this is reflected in breads extreme, heavy and dark density. Ideal for creating a delicious smørrebrød smearing butter and topped with fish, cheese and sausage slices. Those you find in Gràcia, in the Raval or Born.

Roura

Forn Roura is a classic among classics. It is one of the essential to gain a good peasant bread cut when coke or a good artisan bakeries. The Roura runs the family for over 90 years-three generations ago and the aesthetics of your home keeps all those decades in every corner. It is one of the few bakeries where there is no room for doubt: in his workshop produced every day all the products they sell.

Turris

And who as Xavier Barriga to demand bread. Turris oven and master baker have been instrumental in the revival of “Panarra” made in recent years thanks to its workshops, tasting classes and books that have instructed devotees and distrustful. He has been the architect, with other bakeries in this list- recovery of good traditional bread and increasing awareness about the importance of this product in our diet and food culture. Barriga -Fourth bakers- generation has in its display of bread with one of the bars that force the locals: les quatre Puntxes. They have several stores in the city.

It Crusto

It seems a bakery “chain”, but no. In Crusto you have to look at the workshop in the background to understand that their aesthetic approach and industrial bakery is just facade. They make some of the best places that you can find in the city, the kind of aroma and acid frugal compact crumb enduring Stoics bread bag past four days. Preferred is the classic public bar but other Galician bread loaves melting like honey and nuts, rye with prunes and hazelnuts inside or bread with chocolate chips and orange also have many devotees. In Barcelona you find on Valencia Street, in Sant Cugat and recently also in Madrid.

Forn Baltà

The Forn Baltà a pride for the inhabitants of Sants. Since doors opened in 1934 as part of its idiosyncrasies: their coca dressed, their Lent fritters are ahead. Besides breads His lifelong bread stone, rustic bread and bread has fame-old also their friendly attention breads: bread and ugly-looking bread.

Forn Baluard

Located in the heart of Barceloneta Baluard has carved a niche for some years in Barcelona and Clothier universe has open second shop in the Provença street. Made with care and passion in a huge wood oven presiding local evoke their breads crunchy delight any boulangerie in southern France. Bellsolà Anna (daughter, granddaughter and great-granddaughter of bakers), offers more than 25 types of bread and gives clues for good bread made at home in his book ‘Pan at home. Oven heart ‘.

L’Obrador del Molí

Although L’Obrador Moli has three stores in Barcelona and the beautiful interior design makes Sandra Tarruella think about aesthetics that deep, L’Obrador is a 100% handmade bakery. Your oven embedded in the back of the desk Manuel de Falla View the live preparation of bread under the direction of master baker Pere Roche while sipping a good coffee. In their stone counters over 100 specialty breads, pastries and cakes are exposed.

They are true defenders of the craft, relaxed and crumb own enzymes. They tastings, tasting breads and workshops around the world to publicize the traditional processes and the marriage of breads. Moreover, when it comes Easter offer one of the best cakes cristina of the city.